Acid battery pasting carrier

ABSTRACT

A pasting carrier for a lead-acid battery. The pasting carrier includes a nonwoven fiber mat having a thickness between 5 and 50 mils, the nonwoven fiber mat being composed of a plurality of entangled glass microfibers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of pending U.S. application Ser. No.15/439,687 filed Feb. 22, 2017. The entire contents of theabove-identified application are herein incorporated by reference forall purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure generally relates to acid batteries.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the present invention,which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed tobe helpful in providing the reader with background information tofacilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the presentinvention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statementsare to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Lead-acid batteries are widely used because of their reliability andrelatively low cost. For example, most automobiles include a lead-acidbattery to start the engine and power various onboard systems. Althoughthere are many types of lead-acid batteries, their general constructionincludes positive and negative electrodes in contact with an acidelectrolyte, typically dilute sulfuric acid. During discharge, thelead-acid battery produces electricity as the sulfuric acid reacts withthe electrodes. More specifically, the acid electrolyte combines withthe negative and positive electrodes to form lead sulfate. As leadsulfate forms, the negative electrode releases electrons and thepositive plate loses electrons. The net positive charge on the positiveelectrode attracts the excess negative electrons from the negativeelectrode enabling the battery to power a load. To recharge theacid-battery, the chemical process is reversed.

As the lead-acid battery discharges, the positive and negativeelectrodes expand as lead sulfate forms on and in within the electrodes.Likewise as the lead-acid battery charges, the electrodes contract asthe lead sulfate dissolves. Over time, the expansion and contraction ofthe electrodes may cause pieces of the electrodes to break off. Inaddition to breaking down in an acid environment, the lead in theelectrodes increases the overall weight of the lead-acid battery.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to various embodiments of a pastingcarrier for a lead-acid battery. The pasting carrier includes a nonwovenfiber mat having a thickness between 5 and 50 mils, the nonwoven fibermat being composed of a plurality of entangled glass microfibers. Thenonwoven mat includes between 30 and 60 weight percentage of smallersized glass microfibers having an average fiber diameter between 150 and550 nanometers, between 0 and 40 weight percentage of larger sized glassmicrofibers having an average fiber diameter between 0.6 and 6 microns,and between 15 and 60 weight percentage of a binder that binds thesmaller sized glass microfibers and the larger sized glass microfiberstogether. The smaller sized glass microfibers and the larger sized glassmicrofibers are substantially homogenously or uniformly distributed andblended throughout the nonwoven fiber mat.

In another embodiment, a battery including a first electrode. The firstelectrode has a first highly conductive grid and a first pastingcarrier. The first pasting carrier includes a nonwoven fiber mat havinga thickness between 5 and 50 mils. The nonwoven fiber mat includes aplurality of entangled glass microfibers. A first conductive materialcouples to the first pasting carrier and to the first highly conductivegrid. The wettability of the first pasting carrier enables the firstpasting carrier to support the first conductive material by absorbing aportion of the first conductive material while preventing the firstconductive material from passing through the first pasting carrier.

In another embodiment, a method of manufacturing a lead-acid pastingcarrier. The method includes dispersing glass microfibers in an aqueoussolution to form an aqueous slurry with the glass microfibers. Theaqueous slurry is then distributed onto a screen to remove a liquid fromthe aqueous slurry to form a nonwoven fiber mat with entangled glassmicrofibers. A binder is then applied to the entangled glass microfibersto bond the glass microfibers together. The binder may be applied to theglass microfibers by mixing in the aqueous slurry or applied to theglass microfibers after removing the liquid from the aqueous slurry. Theentangled glass microfibers are then dried to form the nonwoven fibermat having a thickness between 5 and 50 mils. The wettability of thelead acid pasting carrier enables the pasting carrier to support aconductive material by absorbing a portion of the conductive materialwhile preventing the conductive material from passing through thelead-acid pasting carrier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention willbe better understood when the following detailed description is readwith reference to the accompanying figures in which like charactersrepresent like parts throughout the figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a lead-acid batterycell;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a pasting carrier;and

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a pasting carrier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed below. These embodiments are only exemplary of the presentinvention. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise descriptionof these exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementationmay not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated thatin the development of any such actual implementation, as in anyengineering or design project, numerous implementation-specificdecisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, suchas compliance with system-related and business-related constraints,which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it shouldbe appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and timeconsuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design,fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having thebenefit of this disclosure.

The terms acid resistant glass fibers and acid resistant binder are usedin this description. Glass fibers can be acid resistant depending ontheir glass chemistry. According to DIN 12116 acid resistance/aciddurability is classified into four classes depending on the amount ofweight loss in an acid solution. In this description, glass fibers areconsidered acid resistant if they fall into categories S1-S3.

S1 = acid proof 0.0-0.7 mg/dm² (weight loss) S2 = weakly acid soluble0.7-1.5 mg/dm² (weight loss) S3 = moderately acid soluble 1.5-15.0mg/dm² (weight loss) S4 = strongly acid soluble more than 15.0 mg/dm²(weight loss)

While the term acid resistant binder is widely used in the batteryindustry to mean a binder capable of withstanding a corrosive batteryenvironment for the life of the battery, it still lacks a technicaldefinition. In this description, acid resistant binder is defined usingthe test found in BCI Battery Technical Manual (BCIS-03B, RevisedMarch-2010, “23. CHEMICAL/OXIDATION RESISTANCE BY HOT SULFURIC ACID”).The test uses acid resistant glass fibers (as defined above) that areformed into a nonwoven mat to achieve 20% binder LOI (loss on ignition)+/−3%. The nonwoven mat is then placed in boiling sulfuric acid (e.g.,sulfuric acid that has a specific gravity of 1.280 at 25° C.) forapproximately 3 hours and if the weight loss is less than 10 wt. % ofthe original mat weight, the binder is considered acid resistant.

The embodiments discussed below include a lead-acid battery cell with ahighly conductive grid made out of a material other than a lead/leadalloy. As will be explained in detail below, the grid collects chargecreated by the electro-chemical reaction and channels the charge to aterminal to drive a load (e.g., radio, lights, etc.). By using a highlyconductive grid, the lead-acid battery is able to more efficientlychannel charge. And by more efficiently channeling charge, the batterymay maintain the same or substantially the same amount of electricaloutput with a smaller and/or a slower chemical reaction. The highlyconductive grid may also be significantly lighter and thinner thantypical lead grids, which reduces the overall size and weight of thebattery.

However, the highly conductive grid may not be porous, and may thereforebe unable to couple to and support the positive and negative platepasting material. Furthermore, the exterior surface of the highlyconductive grid may be slick, smooth, etc. and thus unable to coupleand/or support the positive or negative plate pasting material. In otherwords, without some kind of support the positive or negative platepasting material may not adhere to the grid (e.g., slide off duringmanufacture). The embodiments below disclose a pasting carrier capableof coupling to and supporting the positive and negative plate pastingmaterial enabling electrical contact between the grid and the pastingmaterial. In some embodiments, the pasting carrier may also have areduced porosity that slows the electro-chemical reaction by reducingionic transport between the positive and negative electrodes enablingthe battery to take advantage of the highly conductive grid (e.g., useless lead in the reaction, extend battery life, increase time ofdischarge, etc.).

As will be explained below, the pasting carrier has sufficientstructural strength to support and is sufficiently wettable to absorb aportion of the positive or negative plate pasting material whileblocking the positive or negative material from passing through thepasting carrier. Once the positive or negative plate pasting materialdries on the pasting carrier, the pasting carrier retains and supportsthe material during operation of the battery.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a lead-acid batterycell 10. Each cell 10 provides an electromotive force (i.e., volts) thatmay be used for powering a load (e.g., car, lights, radio, etc.).Lead-acid batteries may include multiple cells 10 in series or parallelto increase either the voltage or current flow. The cell 10 includes apositive electrode 12 and a negative electrode 14 and pasting carriers16 that support positive and negative plate pasting material 20, 26. Thepositive electrode 12 includes a grid 18 made out of a highly conductivematerial. The term highly conductive material refers to materialsexcluding lead/lead alloys that have a conductivity greater than 6×10⁶Siemens per meter at 20 degrees Celsius. For example, the highlyconductive material may be silicon based (e.g., silicon containingconductive impurities), which not only has a high conductivity but iscapable of resisting corrosion in a lead-acid battery environment (e.g.,sulfuric acid corrosion). Other highly conductive materials may includegraphene, zinc, aluminum, copper, or other materials. Because the grid18 is made from a highly conductive material, the grid 18 is thinner,lighter, and more efficient than a typical lead grid.

The increased efficiency of the grid 18 may enable each cell 10 to useless positive and negative plate pasting material 20, 26 to perform theelectro-chemical reaction, further reducing the weight of the cell 10. Abattery containing the highly conductive grids 18 may therefore increasethe charge density (i.e., capacity) of a battery without increasing itssize, while simultaneously decreasing the weight of the battery, andincreasing the life of the battery (i.e., the grid resists corrosion asthe battery charges and discharges).

As explained above, the grid 18 may not be porous and may also have aslick exterior surface that is unable to couple to and/or support thepositive and negative plate pasting material 20, 26. For this reason,the cell 10 includes the pasting carriers 16 that are capable ofcoupling to and supporting the positive plate pasting material 20enabling electrical contact between the grid 18 and the pasting material20. The positive plate pasting material 20 may include active positivematerial (e.g., lead dioxide), and other components and additives (e.g.,like silica, calcium sulfate, etc.). In some embodiments, the grid 18may have a positive terminal (e.g., current conductor) 22 to facilitateelectrical connection to the negative electrode 14.

The pasting carriers 16 may also have a porosity that supports andcouples to the positive plate pasting material 20 while still blockingthe positive plate pasting material 20 from passing through the pastingcarrier 16. The porosity of the pasting carrier 16 may be determined bymeasuring a volume of air that passes through the pasting carrier 16over a specific period of time. For example, the air permeability of thepasting carrier 16 may correspond to a time between 2 and 50 seconds for100 cubic centimeters of air to pass through the pasting carrier 16 at apressure of roughly 12 millibar.

The negative electrode 14 may likewise include a grid 24 made out of ahighly conductive material (e.g., silicon based material) that does notinclude lead/lead alloy and that has a conductivity greater than 6×10⁶Siemens per meter at 20 degrees Celsius. The grid 24 is similarly unableto couple and support a negative plate pasting material 26. Accordingly,the cell 10 includes pasting carriers 16 capable of coupling to andsupporting the negative plate pasting material 26 enabling electricalcontact between the grid 18 and the pasting material 26. The negativeplate pasting material 26 may include active negative material (e.g.,lead) and other components and additives (e.g., lignosulfonate, bariumsulfate, and carbon material). The grid 24 may also include a negativeterminal (e.g., current conductor) 28 to facilitate electricalconnection to the positive electrode 12.

The electro-chemical reaction occurs when the positive and negativeelectrodes 12, 14 are immersed or are in contact with an electrolyte(e.g., 30-40% by weight sulfuric acid aqueous solution). In the chemicalreaction, the negative electrode 14 releases electrons and the positiveelectrode 12 loses electrons as lead sulfate forms. The net positivecharge on the positive plate attracts the excess negative electrons fromthe negative plate producing electricity. To block electricity fromflowing directly between the positive and negative electrodes 12, 14(i.e., short-circuiting), the cell 10 includes a battery separator 30.As illustrated, the battery separator 30 is positioned between thepositive and negative electrodes 12, 14 to prevent electricalconduction, while still enabling ionic transport. During discharge, thepositive ions flow from the anode (i.e., negative electrode 14) throughthe separator 30 to the cathode (i.e., positive electrode 12).Similarly, as the battery charges the positive ions flow from thecathode (i.e., negative electrode 14) through the separator 30 to theanode (i.e., positive electrode 12).

In some embodiments, the positive electrode 12 includes positive platepasting material 20 on opposing sides 50 and 52 of the grid 18 that aresupported by respective pasting carriers 16. By including positive platepasting material 20 on sides 50 and 52, the positive electrode 12 isable to form part of two neighboring cells 10.

The negative electrode 14 may also include negative plate pastingmaterial 26 on opposing sides 68, 70 of the grid 24 supported byrespective pasting carriers 16. By including negative plate pastingmaterial 26 on both sides 68 and 70, the negative electrode 14 is ableto form part of two cells 10.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a pasting carrier16. As illustrated, the pasting carrier 16 couples to and supports thepositive or negative plate pasting material 20, 26. The pasting carrier16 is a single layer nonwoven fiber mat of acid resistant glass fibers(e.g., C glass, T glass). In some embodiments, the nonwoven fiber mat iscomposed substantially or entirely of glass microfibers. In other words,the nonwoven fiber mat may not include, or may otherwise be free of,coarse fibers or larger diameter fibers in excess of 20 μm in diameter.As used herein, the term microfiber means fibers that have an averagefiber diameter of 6 μm or less. It should be understood that normaldeviations from the average fiber diameter are included within the termand that such deviations are envisioned in the embodiments describedherein. For example, the reference to microfibers having an averagefiber diameter of 6 μm implies that some of the fibers may have adiameter greater than 6 μm and that some of the fibers may have adiameter smaller than 6 μm, but that on average, the fiber diameterscollectively average 6 μm. This applies to any of the claimed ordescribed numerical values or ranges, such as other claimed or describedfiber diameters or fiber diameter ranges. In some embodiments, thepasting carrier 16 may include chopped glass to increase the structuralstrength of the pasting carrier 16. The term chopped glass is understoodto have fiber diameters that are between 7 and 17 microns. In someembodiments, the pasting carrier 16 may include between 0.5 and 5percent of chopped glass.

In some embodiments, the nonwoven fiber mat includes a combination ofdifferent sized microfibers. The different sized microfibers will bedescribed herein as “fine or smaller sized microfibers” and “coarse orlarger sized microfibers.” In some embodiments, all or substantially allof the fine and coarse sized microfibers are glass fibers. The term fineor smaller sized microfibers refers to fibers having an average fiberdiameter of between 150 and 550 nanometers, and more commonly between250 and 450 nanometers.

The term coarse or larger sized microfibers refers to fibers having anaverage fiber diameter of between 0.6 and 6 microns, and more commonlybetween 650 and 1,000 nanometers. In a specific embodiment, the nonwovenfiber mat does not include fibers having an average diameter smallerthan 200 nm. In some embodiments, the length of the coarse microfibersmay contribute to the strength of the pasting carrier 16 by physicallyentangling with and/or creating additional contact points for adjacentcoarse and/or fine microfibers. The average lengths of the coarsemicrofibers are much greater than the diameters such that the aspectratio is at least 1,000 and more commonly greater than 10,000.

The blend of coarse microfibers to fine microfibers may vary inpercentage to achieve the desired characteristics/properties of thepasting carrier 16. These properties include porosity, thickness, andstrength. For example, an increase in the number of fine sizedmicrofibers may be used to reduce the thickness of the mat and to “closeoff” or reduce the porosity of the mat. Indeed the use of microfibersdecreases the air permeability in comparison with conventional pastingcarrier. However, the pasting carrier 16 is sufficiently wettable inorder to retain and support the positive or negative plate pastingmaterial 20, 26. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the pasting carrier 16absorbs a portion of the positive or negative plate pasting material 20,26 while blocking complete penetration of the positive or negative platepasting material 20, 26 through the pasting carrier 16. For example, thepositive or negative plate pasting material 20, 26 may penetrate apercentage of the pasting carrier width 90 between 5% and 50%. Once thepositive or negative material 20, 26 hardens/dries on the pastingcarrier 16, the pasting carrier 16 retains and supports the positive ornegative material 20, 26.

In should be noted that the inclusion of too many fine sized microfibersmay compromise the integrity of the nonwoven fiber mat and may cause thepasting carrier 16 to rip or tear in response to tension exerted duringmanufacturing or assembly of the cell 10. To balance these competingproperties the percentage of fine microfibers may vary between 30% and60% by weight.

The pasting carrier 16 also includes an acid resistant binder that bindsthe microfibers together. In some embodiments, the pasting carrier 16includes between 15% and 60% weight percentage of a binder to bind themicrofibers together (e.g., the smaller sized glass microfibers and thelarger sized glass microfibers together. Most commonly, the binderweight percentage is between 25% and 45%. Acid resistant binders may bebased on numerous chemistries which do not breakdown in acidic oralkaline environments. One example is the acrylic binder Dow RhoplexHA-16.

In some embodiments, the acid resistant glass fibers may include aconductive outer coating that facilitates electron flow and theelectro-chemical reactions within the cell 10. The conductive materialmay be sprayed, vapor deposited, or otherwise coated onto the acidresistant glass fibers. Because lead-acid batteries contain aggressiveelectrochemical reactions, the conductive material may be made out ofnon-reactive material. For example, the conductive material may includea non-reactive metal, a nanocarbon, graphene, graphite, a conductivepolymer (e.g., polyanilines), nanocarbons or carbon nanotubes, titaniumoxides, vanadium oxides, tin oxides, and the like. In a specificembodiment, the conductive material may include carbon nano-platelets,such as graphene.

A polymer component may also be integrated or incorporated within thefiber matrix. For example, the glass microfibers may be combined withpolymer fibers and/or a polymer. The use of the polymer fibers withinthe nonwoven fiber mat may increase the strength and/or flexibility ofthe nonwoven fiber mat. Since the polymer component is included withinthe fiber matrix, the nonwoven fiber mat is relatively thin and strong.For example, the nonwoven fiber mat typically has a thickness of between5 and 50 mils, and more commonly between 15 and 30 mils. The nonwovenfiber mat also exhibits a strength of 0.8 to 20.0 pounds per inch andtypically between 2.8 and 8.0 pounds per inch when measured on anInstron mechanical testing apparatus with a 100 pound load cell and apull rate of one inch per minute tested according to ASTM D828 and apuncture resistance of at least 2 pounds per square inch as measured ona Mullen burst apparatus tested according to ASTM D774. The nonwovenalso exhibits an air permeability between 0.31 and 7.5 centimeters persecond. The use of microfibers greatly decreases the air permeability incomparison with conventional pasting carriers. The added polymercomponent (e.g., polypropylene emulsion) may further reduce the porosityto within the described range. In embodiments containing the polymercomponent, the polymer component is dispersed homogeneously throughoutthe entangled microfibers and is not concentrated in any area oradjacent one or more layers within the nonwoven fiber mat.

A single layer construction also enables the nonwoven fiber mat toachieve the described thinness. It may be more difficult to achieve thedescribed thinness if a bi-layer or multilayer arrangement is used, suchas when the polymer component is coated on one or more sides of themicrofiber nonwoven fiber mat or when a polymer film is positioned onone side of the mat.

As described briefly above, the single layer pasting carrier describedherein is a wet-laid mat comprised of glass microfibers and in someembodiments a polymeric component, which typically includes or consistof polypropylene or polyethylene chains. The polymer chains may beintroduced as polymer fibers or via another route, for example as anemulsion. The glass microfibers, polymer chains, binder, and otheradditives, such as additives that aid in processing (e.g., dispersingagents, surfactants, etc.), are mixed into a slurry. The final mat isproduced by collecting the fibers onto a collection belt and then dryingthe collected fibers. The final product is a single layer nonwoven fibermat in which all the components (i.e., the fibers, polymeric component,binder, etc.) are homogenously or uniformly dispersed or distributedthroughout the mat.

In some instances, homogenous dispersion is achieved by removing fluidat an appropriate rate, which is typically a high vacuum rate. Thecomponents are mixed in the slurry so that they are homogenously oruniformly dispersed. If sufficient vacuum force is applied, the excessliquid is removed at a rate that results in the components remaininghomogenously or uniformly dispersed. If the suction is inadequate then apoor dispersion of the components may result, and the polymericcomponent and/or microfibers may conglomerate or clump together.

In an exemplary embodiment, the pasting carrier 16 includedapproximately 40% by weight of an acid-resistant binder, for example DowRhoplex HA-16, and 60% by weight glass fibers, of which the larger glassmicrofibers (0.6 to 6 micron diameter) were roughly 30% by weight andthe smaller glass microfibers (150 to 500 nanometers) were 30%. Thispasting carrier 16 had a strength of roughly 1 pound per inch and athickness of roughly 25 mils.

In another exemplary embodiment, the pasting carrier includedapproximately 40% by weight binder and 60% by weight glass fibers, ofwhich the large glass microfibers (0.6 to 6 micron diameter) wereroughly 3% by weight and the smaller glass microfibers (150 to 500nanometers) were 57%. This pasting carrier 16 had a strength of roughly2.8 pounds per inch and a thickness of roughly 12 mils. This result wasunexpected in that small amounts of larger microfibers significantlyincreased the strength of the pasting carrier, while significant amountsof large microfibers did not lead to a significantly stronger pastingcarrier.

In another exemplary embodiment, the air permeability was reduced whilestill maintaining a lofty mat—that is, a thicker more openly porous—withthe intent to maximize performance by facilitating the majority of thepasting material remaining on the surface of the pasting carrier butwith sufficient porosity to allow some absorption of pasting material to“anchor” the pasting material to the mat. The pasting carrier includedapproximately 42% by weight binder, 33% by weight glass fibers, and 25%by weight polymer, of which the larger glass microfibers (0.6 to 6micron diameters) were roughly 1% by weight and the smaller glassmicrofibers (150 to 500 nanometers) were 32%. It had a strength ofroughly 2 pounds per inch, a thickness of roughly 20 mils, and an airpermeability of approximately 5 centimeters per second.

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of a method 100 manufacturing a pasting carrier16. At block 102, microfibers (e.g., glass microfibers) are dispersed inan aqueous solution to form an aqueous slurry of homogeneously oruniformly dispersed microfibers. At block 104, a polymer component maybe dispersed in the aqueous slurry of the microfibers so that thepolymer component is homogenously or uniformly dispersed throughout theaqueous slurry. At block 106, the aqueous slurry is distributed onto ascreen and a liquid is removed from the aqueous slurry to form awet-laid nonwoven fiber mat atop the screen. The wet-laid nonwoven fibermat is composed of microfibers and in some embodiments a polymercomponent and/or chopped glass.

At 108, a binder is applied to the entangled microfibers to bond themicrofibers together with the polymer component homogenously distributedthroughout the microfibers. At block 110, the wet-laid nonwoven fibermat (i.e., the entangled microfibers) is dried to form a nonwoven fibermat having a typical thickness of between 15 and 30 mils. In embodimentscontaining the polymer component, the polymer component may reduce theporosity and increase the strength and flexibility of the pastingcarrier 16. In some embodiments, the binder is applied to the fibers bymixing the binder in the aqueous slurry, which then binds to the fibersafter removal of the liquid from the slurry.

In an exemplary embodiment, the liquid is removed at a rate that blocksand/or limits aggregation of the components. In some embodiments,dispersing the microfibers in an aqueous solution includes dispersingbetween 30% and 60% weight percentage of smaller sized microfibers inthe aqueous solution and/or 0% to 40% weight percentage of larger sizedmicrofibers within the aqueous solution. The smaller sized microfibersmay have an average fiber diameter of between 150 and 550 nanometers andthe larger sized microfibers may have an average fiber diameter ofbetween 0.6 and 6 microns. The smaller sized microfibers and the largersized microfibers are homogenously or uniformly distributed within theaqueous slurry.

Dispersing the polymer component within the aqueous slurry of themicrofibers may include dispersing 0% to 30% weight percentage of thepolymer component within the aqueous slurry. Dispersing the polymercomponent within the aqueous slurry of the microfibers may also includedispersing polymer fibers and/or a polymer emulsion within the aqueousslurry.

While several embodiments and arrangements of various components aredescribed herein, it should be understood that the various componentsand/or combination of components described in the various embodimentsmay be modified, rearranged, changed, adjusted, and the like. Forexample, the arrangement of components in any of the describedembodiments may be adjusted or rearranged and/or the various describedcomponents may be employed in any of the embodiments in which they arenot currently described or employed. As such, it should be realized thatthe various embodiments are not limited to the specific arrangementand/or component structures described herein.

In addition, it is to be understood that any workable combination of thefeatures and elements disclosed herein is also considered to bedisclosed. Additionally, any time a feature is not discussed with regardin an embodiment in this disclosure, a person of skill in the art ishereby put on notice that some embodiments of the invention mayimplicitly and specifically exclude such features, thereby providingsupport for negative claim limitations.

Having described several embodiments, it will be recognized by those ofskill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elementshave not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention. Accordingly, the above description should not betaken as limiting the scope of the invention.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lowerlimits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller rangebetween any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and anyother stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed.The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently beincluded or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neitheror both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassedwithin the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in thestated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits,ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are alsoincluded.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a process” includes aplurality of such processes and reference to “the device” includesreference to one or more devices and equivalents thereof known to thoseskilled in the art, and so forth.

Also, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” and“includes” when used in this specification and in the following claimsare intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers,components, or steps, but they do not preclude the presence or additionof one or more other features, integers, components, steps, acts, orgroups.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery, comprising: a first electrode,comprising: a first highly conductive grid; a first pasting carriercomprising a nonwoven fiber mat having a thickness between 5 and 50mils, the nonwoven fiber mat comprising a plurality of entangled glassmicrofibers; and a first conductive material coupled to the firstpasting carrier and to the first highly conductive grid; wherein awettability of the first pasting carrier enables the first pastingcarrier to support the first conductive material by absorbing a portionof the first conductive material while preventing the first conductivematerial from passing through the first pasting carrier; and anon-fibrous polymer component introduced into the nonwoven fiber mat,the non-fibrous polymer component being homogenously dispersed across athickness of the nonwoven fiber mat.
 2. The battery of claim 1, whereinthe first electrode is a positive electrode and the first conductivematerial comprises lead oxide paste.
 3. The battery of claim 1, whereinthe first electrode is a negative electrode and the first conductivematerial comprises lead oxide paste.
 4. The battery of claim 1,comprising a second electrode, the second electrode comprising a secondhighly conductive grid, and a second pasting carrier having a thicknessbetween 15 and 30 mils and an air permeability between 0.31 and 7.5centimeters per second, the nonwoven fiber mat comprising a plurality ofentangled glass microfibers, a second conductive material coupled to thesecond pasting carrier and to the second highly conductive grid, whereinthe wettability of the second pasting carrier enables the second pastingcarrier to absorb a portion of the second conductive material whilepreventing the second conductive material from passing through thesecond pasting carrier.
 5. The battery of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof entangled glass microfibers comprise between 30 and 60 weightpercentage of smaller sized glass microfibers having average fiberdiameter of between 250 and 450 nanometers.
 6. The battery of claim 2,wherein the plurality of entangled glass microfibers comprise between 0and 40 weight percentage of larger sized glass microfibers having anaverage fiber diameter of between 0.65 and 1 microns.
 7. The battery ofclaim 6, wherein the plurality of entangled glass microfibers comprisebetween 25 and 45 weight percentage of a binder that binds the smallersized glass microfibers and the larger sized glass microfibers together,the smaller sized glass microfibers and the larger sized glassmicrofibers being substantially homogenously or uniformly distributedand blended throughout the nonwoven fiber mat.
 8. The battery of claim1, wherein the polymer component comprises polypropylene.